Pet travel route
Taking a dog or cat from Malta → the United States
What the official rules ask for on this route, for a family pet travelling with its owner. Enter your travel date and your pet’s details to turn it into a dated checklist.
How early to start
No fixed wait
if your pet has no microchip or rabies vaccination yet (the least time the official waiting periods allow)
No fixed wait
if it is already microchipped and vaccinated
Counted only from the officially fixed waiting periods. Vet, lab and paperwork appointment times are on top, so start earlier.
Which rules apply to you
Malta is in the group “Dog rabies-free or low-risk” in the United States’s published list.See every group
Headlines for the United States
- Rabies blood test for some origins
- Designated entry point for some trips
What your dog needs
Dogs
Taking a dog or cat out of an EU country (national procedure not yet verified): we summarised this from a short or older official page and it is still under review, so it may be incomplete.
Paperwork
CDC Dog Import Form
Fill in the free CDC Dog Import Form online (one per dog) and keep the emailed receipt to show on arrival. You can submit it up to the day of travel; the receipt is valid for 6 months unless your dog visits another country in that time.
Details and the official words
The receipt stops being valid if your dog visits a high-risk country, or a different low-risk country, during those 6 months — then you need a new form.
If your travel date or port of entry changes, submit a new form.
“the receipt is valid for 6 months from when it's issued unless the dog visits a high-risk country or a different dog rabies-free or low-risk country during that time”
Age rule
Dog at least 6 months old
Dogs must be at least 6 months old when they enter or return to the U.S.
Details and the official words
“Dogs must be at least 6 months old at time of entry or return to the U.S.”
Identification
Microchip
Your dog must have a microchip that a universal scanner can detect. If it has been in a high-risk country, the chip must have been implanted before the rabies vaccine.
Details and the official words
“Dogs must have a microchip that can be detected with a universal scanner to identify them.”
“The microchip must be implanted before getting the rabies vaccine, or else the vaccine will be invalid.”
Good to know
- Your destination state may have its own rules (for example a rabies vaccination or health certificate). Check with the state veterinarian before you travel.
- If your dog comes from a region affected by screwworm, USDA requires a certificate from a full-time salaried government vet confirming a screwworm inspection within 5 days before shipment. Check USDA's list of affected regions.
- EU rules on pet travel cover moving between EU countries and entering the EU. They do not set the rules for entering a non-EU country: the destination does that. Each member state's veterinary authority issues or endorses the certificate a destination asks for. For this country we could not read an official national page that describes that procedure (the site was unreachable from our checks, blocks automated reading, or the instructions are not in the page text), so we show only the EU-wide rule below. Ask your vet or your national veterinary authority which certificate, stamp and timing your destination needs.
- Planning to bring your pet back to the EU? After a short stay in a non-EU country you can skip the 3-month wait after the rabies blood test, but only if, before you leave the EU, your pet was vaccinated against rabies, passed a successful titer test, and your vet recorded both in its EU pet passport. So do the blood test before you go.
What your cat needs
Cats
Taking a dog or cat out of an EU country (national procedure not yet verified): we summarised this from a short or older official page and it is still under review, so it may be incomplete.
On arrival
Cat appears healthy on arrival
Cats must appear healthy on arrival and may be inspected. No federal proof of rabies vaccination is required, but CDC recommends it and your destination state may require it.
Details and the official words
“Cats are not required to have proof of rabies vaccination for importation into the United States.”
“APHIS Veterinary Services does not have any animal health requirements related to bringing (importing) a pet cat”
Good to know
- Your destination state may have its own rules (for example a rabies vaccination or health certificate). Check with the state veterinarian before you travel.
- EU rules on pet travel cover moving between EU countries and entering the EU. They do not set the rules for entering a non-EU country: the destination does that. Each member state's veterinary authority issues or endorses the certificate a destination asks for. For this country we could not read an official national page that describes that procedure (the site was unreachable from our checks, blocks automated reading, or the instructions are not in the page text), so we show only the EU-wide rule below. Ask your vet or your national veterinary authority which certificate, stamp and timing your destination needs.
- Planning to bring your pet back to the EU? After a short stay in a non-EU country you can skip the 3-month wait after the rabies blood test, but only if, before you leave the EU, your pet was vaccinated against rabies, passed a successful titer test, and your vet recorded both in its EU pet passport. So do the blood test before you go.
Common questions
Does my dog need a rabies blood test to go from Malta to the United States?
We couldn't find this in our summary of the rules, but that summary is short and still under review. Ask the official authority before you rely on it.
Do I need an import permit to bring my dog into the United States?
We couldn't find this in our summary of the rules, but that summary is short and still under review. Ask the official authority before you rely on it.
Will my dog be quarantined in the United States?
We couldn't find this in our summary of the rules, but that summary is short and still under review. Ask the official authority before you rely on it.
Does my dog need a microchip?
Yes: Your dog must have a microchip that a universal scanner can detect.